Red Sox starter John Lackey continues to make progress in his rehabilitation, and other notes

Associated PressBoston Red Sox pitcher John Lackey continues to make progress in his rehabilitation from an elbow injury.

BOSTON – Boston Red Sox right-hander John Lackey, who was shut down last week with elbow soreness and placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 12, continues to make progress in his rehabilitation.

The starting pitcher threw on flat ground from 120 feet Saturday without pain and will play catch again Sunday.

Lackey will join the team on its road trip when it leaves for Cleveland Monday and will continue baseball activities under the supervision of the Red Sox.

If he continues to progress as is, Francona said that it’s possible he could circumvent a rehabilitation stint in Triple-A Pawtucket, though he wasn’t ready to commit to anything.

“He really wasn’t down very long, which is good,” Francona said. “When there’s a shutdown of a guy throwing for a couple weeks, then it kind of interrupts what you’ve done. He really didn’t miss a lot of time.

“Having said that, there was a reason he was shut down. If you come back after a two-week DL thing and go to seven innings, that’s not in anybody’s interest. So we have to figure that out.”

Lackey was 2-5 with an 8.01 ERA at the time he was shut down. His current averages of 4.3 strikeouts and 4.1 walks per nine innings count as the worst marks of his career.

The Cubs were not sure who would take his place, but suggested that left-handed reliever James Russell (1-4, 6.26 ERA) was a strong candidate.

Garza (2-4, 3.72 ERA) was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in January via trade.

’TEK IS ACEVES MAN: As long as Alfredo Aceves is in the rotation, Jason Varitek will serve as his catcher.

Francona said that the team considered pairing Jarrod Saltalamacchia with him, but wanted to make sure that Varitek, who is hitting .296 in May, stays sharp with regular at-bats.

“(Varitek) lost a little bit of his clientele with Lackey on the DL,” Francona said. “We can split it up with Salty catching (Wakefield).”

PLAYING PEPPER: Relief pitcher Bobby Jenks, who is on the disabled list with a right biceps strain, threw a bullpen session Saturday without incident and is scheduled to do so again Monday in Cleveland ... Shortstop Marco Scutaro (oblique strain) has yet to begin swinging and is said to still be experiencing pain ... Franklin Morales, who was acquired from the Rockies via trade Thursday, warmed up in the bullpen during the eighth inning of Friday’s game, but was not considered for game duty. Francona said they would like to ease him into low-pressure situations to start.